A Historical Perspective from the Old Town Triangle Association

Q. Tell me a little about these goals and the mission of the organization.

A. Well, let me give you a copy of our mission statement. To carry on the statement and this set of goals, the organization threw a huge neighborhood party to showcase themselves.

This party became the first Old Town Art Fair. It was kind of a "loving hands at home" party where local artists made jewelry, embroidered aprons, little things like that. They hung these pieces of art anywhere outside--on things like fences. And they charged a quarter to get in. There was no jury or limit as to what could enter. Anything was considered art.

The fair became more and more successful as time went on and it became the Old Town Art Fair. It is now an international art fair. In fact, it is the largest international outdoor art fair. It is juried and we have 260 artists from around the world attend and they pay a booth fee.

The Organization is still a gathering place for the community. We have a board that meets monthly to discuss neighborhood issues. Those on the board are elected by the members for a three year term and they can be reelected.

We open up our space with art classes for anyone who wants to participate. We also have yoga classes, and NIA dance classes. We have a Boy Scout troop that we sponsor.

Once a year, every spring, the neighborhood gets together to clean up the neighborhood. This is partly because after the winter the neighborhood looks a little shabby and it's partly to prepare for the art show since we now attract 50,000 visitors.

In the late 70's our community changed a lot. Property values escalated and a lot of artists were forced to move. Many lived in apartments that changed into condos and they couldn't buy a condo. But our community is still very much into art.

The demographics of the community has also changed over time. In the 70's the yuppies or youth came through. In the 80's we had a community that was associated with various professions. The pattern at that time was that singles would move in and then get married. Once they were married, they moved to the suburbs because they felt the schools system was better than here in the city.

In the 90's and early 2000's we had many people who were really into technology. They were associated with computer technology or website technology.

Now, the population has stabilized to an extent that we have families buying houses and planting roots to stay here. The schools have improved and this is one of the best communities for children to attend school. So people really want to stay here now.

So, with this trend, the board is in a process of trying to figure out how to serve the needs of this population who want to stay here long-term.

Q. How did Old Town become a historic landmark?

A. The community really went through a rough time during the depression, through the 30's and really all the way through to the end of WWII. Property became primarily rental and no one wanted to buy houses here because the community was really gang infested.

But in the 60's, the government had a program where they gave money to those who would come, settle down, and buy houses here and this really drew a lot of people into the area. So there was an influx of homeowners.

At the same time, there was also an influx of people who wanted to tear down these buildings and rebuild them into multiple unit buildings. So a group of people banded together and really made sure these people could not tear down the buildings. It took them 10 years, but they went to every single house in the community and categorized it for the national registry.

There were three categories. Each house was categorized as "Significant"--either historically or architecturally. "Contributing" which meant they had no particular architectural significance, but they contributed to the overall history and architecture of the neighborhood.

And "Non-Contributing" was the term given to houses built after 1960 and had no particular architectural or historical significance. There aren't many of these. Every house in this area that is categorized as significant or contributing is listed individually on the national registry.

The city of Chicago then designated the entire area as a historic landmark of Chicago but some houses are more significant than others.

Q. Does someone have to be a member to utilize the OTTA?

A. Yes. And we have several memberships. A membership gets the individual a subscription to the newsletter, invitations to participate in all of our events, a vote for the board of directors and, in general, a voice in the organization. We have individual memberships, family memberships and senior citizen memberships. All three memberships can be for one year, three years or for life which varies the costs of the different memberships.

Q. What type of programs does the OTTA offer for children?

A. The Old Town Triangle Association is not primarily for children. So, when we have an activity for adults, that's when we also hold an event for children. For example, at the Adult's holiday party, we had an artist come in and work with the kids on an art project that the kids then gave to their parents as a holiday present.

The reason we don't focus on children's events is because the Menomonee Club is right there on the corner and they special in children's events. So we focus on the adults.

Q. What type of programs does the OTTA offer for adults?

A. We hold art classes, yoga classes, NIA dance classes, etc. The membership fees do not cover these classes. These classes charge a separate fee that pays for the instructors, models, supplies, etc.

Q. Is the OTTA involved in the community in any other ways?

A. We do participate in a few larger community groups. For instance, there is one group that brings all of the community groups together. They undertake one big project each year to better the entire community. So we help with that.

Also, we work with the 43rd ward's committee that deals with issues of the entire ward.

A. I would like you to feature the importance of the neighborhood in a historic sense and feature the landmark character of the community.

We are a truly viable community group that works to enhance the safety, environment and education of the people who live here. We are a group that attempts to change the needs of the residents.

Q. Is there anything else I should know about the OTTA?

A. I think we covered most of it! Old Town is one of the most historic neighborhoods in the city. It was one of the first areas to be rebuilt after the fire. And since then we have really worked hard to maintain our identity.

In Old Town, you don't have to worry about walking down the street and wondering how it looked 100 years ago because it still looks the same today. The streets are narrow because they were designed for horse-drawn carriages. The houses are small and always have been. We have only one mansion in our community and it was built by the Wacker family.

And honestly, we like it that way. If you want something huge and grand, this isn't the place. Our community is charming, hospitable and has a warmth that you won't find elsewhere.

Our community is contained within only a few blocks. So we take care of our community and we take care of each other. We really have a unique character and identity and that's something hard to find in a city as large as Chicago.